Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CASKET AND MEMORIALIZATION ACCESSORY
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] None.
FIELD
[0002] This relates generally to caskets and more particularly to
memorialization
accessories for use separately and/or with caskets.
BACKGROUND
[0003] There is a trend in the death care industry towards personalizing to
the
deceased the funeral products and the funeral or other memorial service to
provide a
more meaningful memorial experience for the family and friends of the
deceased. The
casket in which the deceased is displayed can be customized to fit the needs
and
preferences of the deceased and the family. For instance, a wide variety of
materials,
finishes, colors, and decorative ornamentation can be chosen for the casket.
[0004] Some casket designs incorporate decorative corner ornaments secured to
the
casket during fabrication thereof. In many, if not most, prior designs, these
ornamental
corner pieces are rigidly affixed to the casket shell. Consequently, if a
customer
purchasing the casket is not pleased with the particular pre-installed
ornamental corner
pieces, and wishes to customize the casket exterior to his or her taste, the
funeral director
must go through a lengthy and complicated process to first remove the original
ornamental corner pieces and then reinstall the ornamental corner pieces
chosen by the
customer. This process typically requires manual manipulation and access to
the interior
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of the casket which may require the removal of bedding, lining, and the like.
Such a
process is time consuming and can damage the otherwise new casket and is thus
frowned upon and generally avoided by the funeral director.
[0005] To more effectively market caskets, the funeral director desires
to offer a wide
variety of ornamental corner pieces from which a customer can select according
to the
customer's taste. However, to offer such a wide selection, and to avoid the
undesirable
practice mentioned above, the funeral director would have to maintain a large
inventory
of many different casket material/finish and corner piece combinations, which
is also
undesirable. To minimize the required inventory of finished caskets, the
funeral director
could simply have one casket of each material/finish on hand provided that the
funeral
director had some means providing for the quick and efficient changing of the
ornamental corner pieces on each casket. As such, the customer could quickly
view
numerous corner pieces on a single casket, and the funeral director would need
only
stock a single casket of each material finish. Many prior casket designs,
which rigidly
affix the ornamental corner pieces, do not permit such quick and efficient
changing of
the ornamental corner pieces as discussed above.
[0006] A quick-change casket corner mechanism is disclosed in Acton et
al. US
Patents Nos. 6,591,466, 5,928,706, and 7,340,810, assigned to the assignee of
the present
invention. The Acton et al. patents disclose an ornamental corner piece
assembly having a
back plate that attaches to the corner of a casket. The back plate includes a
clip member
having at least one keyhole groove. A decorative corner insert includes at
least one
attachment member that slidingly engages the keyhole groove in the clip member
such that
the corner insert removably couples to the back plate. In this way, a funeral
director may
quickly and conveniently change out the decorative corner pieces to provide a
wide variety
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of casket designs personalized to the deceased. Such a quick change casket
corner
ornament is commercially available from the assignee as its LIFESYMBOLSO line
of corner
ornaments.
[0007] Another advance in the areas of personalization and memorialization
is
the subject of Groemminger et al. US Patents Nos. 6,557,222, 6,883,212, and
7,210,204, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated
by
reference herein. The Groemminger et al. patents disclose a casket ornament
display
plaque and associated methods for memorializing a deceased. The casket
ornament
display plaque comprises a decorative board, a casket ornament attached to the
board,
and indicia attached to the board identifying the deceased to be memorialized.
The
casket ornament is one having been removed from a casket in which the deceased
was
displayed or one that is substantially identical thereto.
[0008] Another advance in the areas of personalization and memorialization
is the
subject of Biondo et al. US Patents Nos. 5,611,124, 5,727,291, 6,836,936, and
6,976,294,
assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The Biondo et al. patents
disclose a casket
having an integral memorabilia compartment for the placement, display, and
storage therein
of personal effects and mementos of memorialization of the deceased. In one
form the
casket comprises a shell, a cap pivoted to the shell, and an openable and
closeable
memorabilia compartment forming a part of the cap. In one form the memorabilia
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compartment takes the form of a drawer. Such a casket is commercially
available from
the assignee as its MEMORYSAFE line of caskets.
[0009] Advances have therefore been made in the area of casket designs
incorporating decorative or ornamental corner pieces as demonstrated with the
product
discussed above. However, there continues to be room for improvement in the
area of
personalization in the death care industry.
SUMMARY
[0010] A casket and memorialization accessory combination comprises a casket
comprising a casket shell having a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls
and a casket
lid closable on the casket shell, a decorative ornament comprising a digital
image display
device, and a keepsake box adapted to receive keepsake items therein. The
casket shell
and ornament are configured such that the ornament is removably attachable to
the
casket shell. The keepsake box and ornament are configured such that the
ornament is
attachable to the keepsake box. The ornament can be removed from the casket in
which a deceased was displayed for viewing and attached to the keepsake box so
that
the keepsake box and ornament can be presented to a loved one of the deceased
as a
memorial to the deceased.
[0011] The combination can further comprise apparatus for removably securing
the
ornament to the shell and to the keepsake box, comprising a first attachment
element
associated with the shell, a second attachment element associated with the
ornament,
and a third attachment element associated with the keepsake box. The first and
second
attachment elements are configured for removably securing the ornament to the
shell,
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and the second and third attachment elements are configured for securing the
ornament
to the keepsake box. One of the first and second attachment elements can be at
least
one groove and the other of the first and second attachment elements can be at
least
one fastener having a head thereon. The third attachment element can be the
same
type of attachment element as the first attachment element. The groove can
comprise a
slot and an opening communicating with the slot, the opening being of a
greater
dimension than the slot. The fastener can be a threaded fastener, for example
a screw,
for example a shoulder screw. The shell can have a mounting member disposed
between adjacent ones of the side and end walls, and the ornament can be
mounted to
the mounting member. The mounting member can be oriented at about a 45 angle
relative to the adjacent ones of the side and end walls. The first, second,
and third
attachment elements can be configured such that the ornament is removably
secured to
the shell and to the keepsake box via motion in first and second non-parallel
directions
generally parallel to a plane defined by a mounting surface of the shell and
the keepsake
box. The motion in the first and second directions can be rectilinear. The
groove can
include a first keyhole portion and a second non-keyhole portion. The first
keyhole
portion can have a first longitudinal axis, the second non-keyhole portion can
have a
second longitudinal axis, and the first and second longitudinal axes can be
non-parallel.
The first and second longitudinal axes can be perpendicular. The ornament can
be a
corner ornament. The keepsake box can have a pivoting lid and the third
fastening
element can be mounted to an underside of the lid.
[00121 The digital image display device can comprise a LCD screen. The digital
image display device can further comprise a decorative frame surrounding the
LCD
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screen. The digital image display device can comprise a memory for electronic
photo
image files. The memory can be configured to display the electronic photo
image files as
a slideshow. The digital image display device can comprise a power source. The
digital
image display device can comprise a USB port.
[0013] In another aspect, a memorialization accessory for memorializing a
deceased
comprises a keepsake box adapted to receive keepsake items therein and having
a first
fastener element, an ornament including a second fastener element, the
ornament
attached to the keepsake box with the first and second fastener elements, the
ornament
being previously attached to a casket in which the deceased was displayed for
viewing,
or being substantially identical to an ornament attached to the casket in
which the
deceased was displayed for viewing.
[0014] The keepsake box can have a pivoting lid and the first fastening
element can
be mounted to an underside of the lid. The keepsake box can further include a
picture
frame mounted to the underside of the lid.
[0015] In another aspect, a method of memorializing a deceased comprises
displaying the deceased for viewing in a casket to which is mounted an
ornament and in
which is placed a keepsake box, removing the ornament from the casket,
removing the
keepsake box from the casket, mounting the ornament to the keepsake box, and
presenting the keepsake box and ornament to a loved one of the deceased as a
memorial to the deceased.
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[0016] The keepsake box can have a pivoting lid and the method can further
comprise mounting the ornament to an underside of the lid prior to presenting
the
keepsake box to the loved one.
10017] In another aspect, a method of memorializing a deceased comprises
displaying the deceased for viewing in a casket to which is mounted an
ornament and in
which is placed a keepsake box, removing the keepsake box from the casket,
mounting
an ornament, which is substantially identical to the ornament mounted on the
casket, to
the keepsake box, and presenting the keepsake box and ornament to a loved one
of the
deceased as a memorial to the deceased.
10018] In another aspect, a method of memorializing a deceased comprises
displaying the deceased for viewing in a casket to which is mounted an
ornament,
removing the ornament from the casket, mounting the ornament to a keepsake
box, and
presenting the keepsake box and ornament to a loved one of the deceased as a
memorial to the deceased.
10019] In another aspect, a method of memorializing a deceased comprises
displaying the deceased for viewing in a casket to which is mounted an
ornament,
mounting an ornament, which is substantially identical to the ornament mounted
on the
casket, to a keepsake box, and presenting the keepsake box and ornament to a
loved
one of the deceased as a memorial to the deceased.
10020] The combination can further comprise an attachment clip for removably
attaching the ornament to the shell and/or for removably attaching the
ornament to the
keepsake box. The attachment clip can comprise a front portion having a pair
of
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vertically spaced right angle keyhole grooves therethrough, having a
rearwardly
projecting circular post, and having a rectangular rib adjacent said post, and
a back
portion having a pair of vertically spaced spring tabs each of which
cooperates with one
of the pair of vertically spaced right angle keyhole grooves, having a
circular hole for
receiving the circular post, and having a rectangular hole for receiving the
rectangular
rib. The ornament can include a pair of vertically spaced fasteners on a rear
side
thereof, each of which includes a head thereon. Each spring tab can include a
pair of
ribs spaced apart to accept the head of a respective one of the pair of
fasteners.
DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a casket and memorialization accessory.
[0022] FIG. 2 is an exploded partial perspective view of the casket and
ornament of
FIG. 1.
[0023] Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the memorialization accessory
and
ornament of Fig. 1.
[0024] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an attachment clip for
attaching the
ornament to the casket.
[0025] FIG. 5 is an assembled perspective view of the attachment clip of FIG.
4.
[0026] FIG. 6A is a view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5 showing the ornament
and its
fastener prior to attachment to the attachment clip.
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[0027] FIG. 6B is a view similar to FIG. 6A showing the ornament fastener head
inserted into the attachment clip.
[0028] FIG. 6C is a view similar to FIG. 6B showing the ornament fastener head
slid
into its final position in the attachment clip and coming to rest between the
two ribs on
the spring tab.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the ornament.
DESCRIPTION
[0030] Referring to the figures, a casket 10 comprises a casket shell 12
having a pair
of side walls 14 and a pair of end walls 16, a casket lid 18 closable on the
casket shell
12, and an ornament 20, for example a corner ornament, mounted to the shell
12.
Memorialization accessory 22 takes the form of a keepsake box which is adapted
to
receive keepsake items 24 therein. The casket shell 18 and ornament 20 are
configured
such that the ornament 20 is removably attachable to the casket shell 12. The
keepsake
box 22 and ornament 20 are configured such that the ornament 20 is attachable
to the
keepsake box 22. The ornament 20 can be removed from the casket 10 in which a
deceased was displayed for viewing and attached to the keepsake box 22. In
this way
that the keepsake box 22 and ornament 20 can be presented to a loved one of
the
deceased as a memorial to the deceased. The keepsake box 22 can be placed in
the
casket 10 during display of the deceased therein for viewing, or placed
adjacent the
casket 10 during viewing.
[0031] The ornament 20 can be a digital image display device comprising a LCD
screen 260. The digital image display device can comprise a memory 262 for
electronic
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photo image files. The memory 262 can be configured to display the electronic
photo
image files as a slideshow. The digital image display device 20 can comprise a
power
source 264, for example batteries. The digital image display device 20 can
comprise a
USB port 266 for connection to a digital camera, laptop computer, personal
computer,
etc. in order to load the electronic photo image files into the memory 262.
The digital
image display device 20 can further comprise a decorative frame 268
surrounding the
LCD screen 260. For example, one commercially available digital image display
device
20 or so-called "digital picture frame' suitable for use with casket 10 is the
Pandigital
(5.6" Tru Photo) model number PAN56-1.
[0032] The casket 10, ornament 20, and memorialization accessory 22 can
further
comprise apparatus 32 for removably securing the ornament 20 to a mounting
surface
34 of the shell 12 and for securing the ornament 30 to the keepsake box 22.
That
apparatus 32 can comprise a first attachment element 36 associated with the
mounting
surface 34 of the shell 12, a second attachment element 38 associated with the
ornament
20, and a third attachment element 39 associated with the keepsake box 22. The
first
36 and second 38 attachment elements are for removably securing the ornament
20 to
the shell 12, and the second 38 and third 39 attachment elements are
configured for
securing the ornament 20 to the keepsake box 22. One of the first 36 and
second 38
attachment elements can be at least one groove 40 and the other of the first
36 and
second 38 attachment elements can be at least one fastener 42 having a head 44
thereon. The third attachment element 39 can be of the same type of attachment
element as the first attachment element 36. The groove 40 can comprise a slot
50 and
an opening 52 communicating with the slot 50, the opening 52 being of a
greater
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dimension than the slot 50. The fastener 42 can be a threaded fastener, for
example a
screw. The screw can be for example a shoulder screw.
[0033] The shell 12 can have a mounting member 60 disposed between adjacent
ones of the side 14 and end 16 walls, and the ornament 20 can be mounted to
the
mounting member 60. Accordingly in this example the mounting surface 34 is a
part of
the mounting member 60 of the shell 12. Mounting member 60 can be the back
plate
shown and described in the Acton et al. patents. Other mounting surfaces and
members
are possible. The mounting member 60 can be oriented at about a 45 angle
relative to
the adjacent ones of the side 14 and end 16 walls. The first attachment
element 36 can
be associated with the mounting member 60, and the second attachment element
38
can be associated with the ornament 20. For example, groove 40, or a pair of
grooves
40, can be formed in an attachment clip 62 secured to mounting member 60 with
screws
64, and the shoulder screws 42 can be secured to the rear side of the ornament
20. The
third attachment element 39 can also be a groove 40 or pair of grooves 40
formed in an
attachment clip 62 secured to a mounting surface or member of keepsake box 22,
which
as illustrated, is an underside 70 of a pivoting lid 72 of keepsake box 22.
Keepsake box
22 can also include a picture frame 74 mounted to the underside 70 of the lid
72 into
which can be inserted a picture of the deceased, prayer card, or the like.
Other
configurations of keepsake box are of course possible and are within the scope
of the
claims.
[0034] The first 36, second 38, and third 39 attachment elements can be
configured
such that the ornament 20 is removably secured to the shell 12 and the
keepsake box 22
via motion in first and second non-parallel directions generally parallel to a
plane
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defined by the mounting member 60 of the casket shell 12 and the mounting
member
70 of the keepsake box 22. The groove(s) 30 can include a first keyhole
portion 66 and
a second non-keyhole portion 68. The first keyhole portion 66 can have a first
longitudinal axis, the second non-keyhole portion 68 can have a second
longitudinal
axis, and the first and second longitudinal axes can be non-parallel. For
example, the
first and second longitudinal axes can be perpendicular. For examples, the
first and
second directions can be rectilinear or curvilinear.
[0035] To install the ornament 20, the head(s) 44 of the fastener(s) 42 are
inserted
into opening(s) 52 of groove(s) 40; the ornament 20 is then moved generally
parallel to
a plane defined by mounting member 60 or 70 from left to right as illustrated
thus sliding
head(s) 44 from left to right in slot(s) 40. The ornament 20 is then moved
again
generally parallel to the plane defined by the mounting member 60 or 70
downwardly
thus sliding head(s) 44 down in slot(s) 50. While not required, the multi-
direction
movement to install ornament 20 can reduce the potential for the ornament 20
to
become inadvertently dislodged.
[0036] In use, a deceased is displayed for viewing in the casket 10 to which
is
mounted an ornament 20. Keepsake box 22 can be placed in casket 10 or placed
alongside casket 10. Keepsake items 24 can be placed in keepsake box 22 during
viewing by family, friends, and loved ones of the deceased. After the viewing
or funeral
or other memorial service, the ornament 20 is removed from the casket 10 and
mounted
to the keepsake box 22. The keepsake box 22 with ornament 20 mounted thereon
can
then be presented to a loved one of the deceased as a memorial to the
deceased.
Alternatively, an ornament which is substantially identical to the ornament
that was
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mounted on the casket can be mounted on the keepsake box, if the actual
ornament is
not removed from the casket.
[0037] Referring to FIGS. 4-6C, one form of attachment clip 62 which could be
used
is illustrated. The attachment clip 62 can have a front portion 100 having a
pair of
vertically spaced right angle keyhole grooves 102 therethrough, a rearwardly
projecting
circular post 104, and a rectangular rib 106 adjacent the post 104. The
attachment clip
62 can have a back portion 110 having a pair of vertically spaced spring tabs
112 each
of which cooperates with one of the pair of vertically spaced right angle
keyhole grooves
102, a circular hole 114 for receiving the circular post 104, and a
rectangular hole 116
for receiving the rectangular rib 106. Post 104, rib 106, hole 114, and hole
116 are to
properly orient the front portion 100 with the back portion 110. Both portions
have
holes 108, 118, respectively, for receiving screws 54, rivets, etc. Each
spring tab 112 can
include a pair of ribs 120 which are spaced apart to accept the head 34 of
fastener 32.
As seen in FIGS. 6A-6C, heads 34 are inserted into keyhole grooves 102, slid
to the
right, and then slid down. Sliding the heads 34 down causes the spring tabs
112 to
deflect rearwardly as heads 34 travel down and over the uppermost ones of the
pairs of
ribs 112. Once over the uppermost ones of the pairs of ribs 112, spring tabs
spring
forwardly retaining heads 34 between ribs 112 and against a rear surface of
keyhole
grooves 102.
[0038] The embodiments shown and described are merely for illustrative
purposes
only. The drawings and the description are not intended to limit in any way
the scope of
the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate various changes,
modifications, and
other embodiments. All such changes, modifications and embodiments are deemed
to
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be embraced by the claims. For example, while the ornament and picture frame
have
been illustrated in the drawings as being mounted to the underside of the lid
of the
keepsake box, they could as well be mounted to the outside of the lid of the
keepsake
box. Accordingly, the scope of the right to exclude shall be limited only by
the following
claims and their equivalents.
